Do You Know Sushi Like I Know Sushi…

Oh…Oh …Oh What a Choice!!  (With apologies to Eddie Cantor)

A Review of Conejo Sushi Bars

If someone suggested to you a few years ago, that the big food craze of future in this country would be tiny pieces of raw fish on a fingerlike glob of vinegared rice, you would have suggested heavy therapy. When they then told you that each mouthful could be about $3 or more, you would have called for straitjackets immediately.

At that time, we knew a little bit about Sukiyaki, Teriyaki and Tempura. Occasionally we were seduced into one of those overpriced and fake Samurai shows like Benihana. But something called Sushi? If the only Japanese restaurant in Ventura County, The Cherry Blossom in Camarillo was serving sushi then, it was a well-kept secret.

Akio’s Sushi, in what is now known as The Janss Marketplace, was the first to open in the mid ‘70s. But it was not for the faint of heart. When I owned Holiday Hardware down the mall and asked employees to join me there, they told me that I would have to fire them first. Today Akio’s is one of the busiest sushi bars and restaurants in the County and the now venerable, yet still energetic Akio-San remains the master of his domain.

Six Years ago, there were 5 Sushi Bars in the Conejo. Now the area has 14 and growing. They outnumber McDonald’s 2 to 1. There are more sushi bars than the formerly ubiquitous Chinese restaurants. They have stayed even with the equally amazing proliferation of sit-down Italian Restaurants. The same is true throughout the rest of Ventura County with a new restaurant opening seemingly monthly, proclaiming  fraudulently in most cases “Japanese “ food. Further these new entries  have been disappointing for the reasons described below.

You should know that seeking serious, sophisticated sensory satisfying sushi sources requires more than locating an Asian that looks Japanese and is equipped with a sharp knife, some raw fish, a giant rice cooker and the ability to pronounce “California Roll”.  In fact, if you think that California or Ventura roll and a revolving sushi bar are what sushi is all about then don’t bother reading any further because you can buy a cookbook at Barnes and Noble and learn to make that kind of stuff yourself.  

That Asian you seek had better be Japanese because that is the only place from which real sushi chefs come. You see, it takes about 10 years of training to become a true sushi master. The most important skill that takes the majority of the training time is the ability to select the freshest, finest tastiest fish because… in most cases little is added beyond the wonder of the fish itself. Since there is a serious shortage of real Sushi chefs, 6 of these purportedly Japanese restaurants are owned and operated by non-Japanese and it shows in every case. The only exception is Sushi Oaks in Newbury Park where the Korean owner did train in the United States under one of the best authentic sushi chefs in the Southland. That restaurant is the exception that proves the rule. He does, however have, Japanese behind the bar.

Since there are five or six legitimate choices and they are conveniently located all over the Conejo we will restrict our recommendations and comments to the two already discussed above and the four below. The remainder all have obvious and basic defects that are not worth reviewing.  

Without a doubt, two of the three most authentic and also best sushi bars in the entire county are Kaminari Sushi and Takahashi Sushi. (The third is on the beach in Ventura.) Going to either one of them transports you into the realm of The Ginza in Tokyo.

For many years Takahashi, in the shopping center with Trader Joe’s, was the obvious and only choice for the serious sushi fan. Getting a table or a seat at the bar in the tiny store any evening after 6 PM usually required a ½ hour wait to savor the fresh and innovative fish prepared by Sato Takahashi. However, the constant busy pace seems to have worn him down a bit. He is now good but not great.

Sushi Agoura is not quite in the class with the two above, but they deliver very fresh sushi at bargain prices. They are located in the Agoura Mann Theater Mall and the long sushi bar is rightfully jammed every night. There is almost always a wait. They deliver excellent value.

Finally, there is Hiyama Japanese Restaurant off Thousand Oaks Blvd in Thousand Oaks. In the early years it was the leader, but time has taken a bit of a toll there as well. The owner knows his stuff but charm is not one of his attributes and the sushi bar is now secondary compared to the rest of the restaurant as the name implies. They are perhaps the only restaurant in Ventura County that serves the classic and wonderful cook-at-your-table  Shabu- Shabu.

Akio’s Sushi  215 North Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks  805-496-7106

Hiyama Japanese Restaurant  74 North Skyline Drive, Thousand Oaks   805-496-1067

Kaminari Sushi  2891 Agoura Road Westlake Village  805-446-7001

Sushi Agoura   Agoura Road, Agoura   818-991-0245

Sushi Oaks   2160 Newbury Road Newbury Park  805-498-5518